Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi, also known as World’s Greatest First Love, is a “boy's love” yaoi series that shares a universe with the precursor manga/series Junjou Romantica. Both originally began in the early 2000s but went on to be incredibly different series. While Junjou had taken a more explicit turn towards the genre, Sekai tried to keep things filled with romance and make a name for itself outside the shadow of Junjou. World’s Greatest First Love focuses on Ritsu Onondera, a 25-year-old editor for Marukawa Publishing under the Emerald branch opposite a 27-year-old Masamune Takano, the tough editor-in-chief of the publishing company. The major twist between the pair -- they actually have more history than meets the eye.

As we begin to learn about Ritsu, we watch his flashbacks that show he fell in love during high school with an upperclassman that seemed unlikely to begin with. The man actually turns out to be Takano, but that is something that Ritsu doesn’t immediately realize from this encounter years later. When Ritsu does recall the brief relationship between them, his old feelings come rushing back and Ritsu has to sort out his take on what they had then and how to move forward. It begins to take a stroll down a path that asks if one’s first love can be true enough to stand the test of time and the changes accompanying it. The series doesn’t only follow the love story of Ritsu and Takano but brings a group of characters in (including two pairs) that have relationship dilemmas or complications to deal with, too.

The dynamic between Ritsu and Takano is certainly the primary struggle of the series, often proposing the infamous ‘will they, won’t they’ shaky ground love stories explore. There may be occasions where it can appear to be repetitious, but with each internal debate comes some growth and recognition -- just through slower motion given the two seasons eloted. Of the pair, Takano seems to be the more grounded one, offering fair explanations on past doubts or conflicts with Ritsu usually misunderstanding situations or jumping to conclusions. Some of the issues can spark a variety of thoughts and opinions on what the two have, but the chemistry was something World’s Greatest First Love lived up to crafting for a series that makes a bold title claim. An episode that gives us an idea of Takano’s perspective on a critical moment brings the series full-circle and resolves any questions viewer’s might have about Takano after many chapters covering their journey.

The anime tackles other same-sex relationships, as well, and the most notable is actually between 28-year-old Yoshiyuki Hatori, who is an editor with a secret admiration for childhood friend and manga artist, Chiaki Yoshino. Hatori isn’t as predictable as the other trope-ish characters the genre can contain, and, even though Chiaki is flawed, oblivious and overly flirtatious with multiple people, he can’t help but feel what he feels for the artist. The love triangle may be something that has been covered relentlessly, but this particular trio tends to steal the spotlight from the focal couple. In many ways, Hatori is one of the best inclusions of World’s Greatest First Love, but, with so many characters, there isn’t always enough time to divide between everyone.

The final pairing that plays a big role in the two-season love series is Shouta Kisa, a 30-year-old editor with a reputation for attracting men and a manga salesman by the name of Kou Yukina, who is 21 and a large fan of Kisa’s work. At first, he seems to think Kisa is younger based on appearance, but the two form an unconventional bond where they quickly develop strong feelings that confuse Kisa regularly. The anime series utilizes three very different examples of love that fit the boy’s love genre and (mostly) avoids delving into anything too graphic. Sure, the anime is still a romance/genre at its core, but there are enough roles to have one resonate with you.

The animation includes strong similarities between their characters provided, but the eyes seem to have specified focus with larger attributes and changing through emotional moments. The general art ranges from pastels and spring colors in their offices to more bland settings in the everyday life. Overall, the animation doesn’t disappoint during the two seasons, with a select number of scenes that still stand out as memorable for writing and art combined. The opening and end themes for World’s Greatest First Love become engrained in your memory for creating catchy tunes, and, finally, the Japanese audio of the anime fits uniquely well -- with the exception of some awkward moments because of the occasional adult nature. I would definitely recommend World’s Greatest First Love to anime fans who can appreciate drama, love, or open-minded depictions of love stories that don’t generally come from Japanese animation. If you’re willing to check it out for yourself, both seasons are finally available from Funimation on DVD.

Overall Score: 8/10

Aedan’s Final Thoughts:

I liked that it strayed from Junjou Romantica and surpassed the source material.

The lack of spotlight on being provocative should be appreciated.

Sekai will probably be the best example of a same-sex relationship (as the central plot in a series so far).